Michigan
Cleveland State
Zhu Clinches Win over Vikings in First Half of Doubleheader
2/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Feb. 21, 2015
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: #46 Michigan 4, Cleveland State 3
Records: U-M (2-5), CSU (4-3)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 21 -- vs. Memphis (Varsity Tennis Center), 6 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Senior Michael Zhu's victory in the No. 2 singles position propelled the No. 46-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team past Cleveland State, 4-3, on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 21) at the Varsity Tennis Center. With the match tied at 3-3, Zhu needed all three sets to win his bout and clinch the U-M victory in the first half of a doubleheader.
The Wolverines opened the match by claiming the doubles point. In the No. 2 position, senior Alex Petrone and redshirt freshman Alex Knight won their match, 6-2, over Manuel Bellutti and Mirko Radosevic. Seconds after sophomore Kevin Wong and Zhu dropped their matchup in the No. 1 position, freshman Runhao Hua and sophomore Tyler Gardiner defeated their opponents, 6-4, to clinch the doubles point and give Michigan a 1-0 lead.
Knight fell, 6-3, 6-2, as the first singles match off the court, and that tied the score at 1-1. Then redshirt freshman Davis Crocker sealed his victory over Radosevic with an ace to put U-M on top, 2-1. The Vikings tied the score at 2-2 when Joe VanMeter beat Petrone in the No. 1 position, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Lin was next off the court after his defeat of Colton Buffington in the No. 5 spot. He won by the score of 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, and on match point hit a beautiful cross-court forehand winner to give Michigan the 3-2 lead. Right after that, Wong lost in his three-set matchup, making Zhu's match the deciding contest.
Zhu lost the first set in a tiebreaker but came back to win the second set, 6-4. He went up 5-1 in the final set, but his opponent, Ali Shabib, battled back to cut his deficit to 5-3. It wasn't enough, though, and Zhu held serve to win the match and clinch the victory for the Wolverines.
The Maize and Blue will return to action tonight (Feb. 21) to take on No. 22 Memphis in the tail end of the doubleheader. The match will begin at 6 p.m.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- Joe VanMeter (CSU) def. Alex Petrone (U-M), 2-6, 6-1, 6-4
No. 2 -- Michael Zhu (U-M) def. Ali Shabib (CSU), 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2
No. 3 -- Jorg Van Der Vloet (CSU) def. Alex Knight (U-M), 6-3, 6-2
No. 4 -- Manuel Bellutti def. Kevin Wong (U-M), 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
No. 5 -- Carter Lin (U-M) def. Colton Buffington (CSU), 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
No. 6 -- Davis Crocker (U-M) def. Mirko Radosevic (CSU), 7-6 (6), 6-2
Doubles
No. 1 -- Ali Shabib/Nolan Marks (CSU) def. Kevin Wong/Michael Zhu (U-M), 6-4
No. 2 -- Alex Petrone/Alex Knight (U-M) def. Manuel Bellutti/Mirko Radosevic (CSU), 6-2
No. 3 -- Runhao Hua/Tyler Gardiner (U-M) def. Jorg Van Der Vloet/Colton Buffington (CSU), 6-4
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-1-3, Singles 3-6-1-5-4-2
Communications Contact: Zach Eisendrath (734) 763-4423
